They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but new research suggests you can tell a lot about someone just by looking at what sports they play – and it seems swimmers make the best lovers.
Cyclists are more likely to be emotionally stable, runners the most extrovert, and walkers the least materialistic according to new research launched by the British Heart Foundation, in collaboration with Mindlab who surveyed 2000 adults across the UK in February and March 2015.
The survey might prove useful to Britain’s political parties ahead of the May 7 election as they jostle for voters’ attention.
People that go to the gym are most likely to vote Conservative, while runners tend to back Labour, while there is a strong Liberal Democrat streak among cyclists. Oh and if you’re a yoga devotee you’re probably a Green party voter.
The survey also revealed that over half (61%) of UK adults wanted to take on a challenge for charity, whatever their “sports personality” type.
“It has long been known that exercise is not only good for your body, but also your mind. The results from this study show that no matter what kind of person you are, there is the right kind of exercise for everyone” said Dr David Lewis, Neuropsychologist and founder of Mindlab.
So what sports personality are you? Here’s a breakdown of the study’s findings:
Cyclists
Tend to vote Liberal Democrats
Are laid back and Calm
The least likely to be depressed or suffer stress
Materialistic
Runners
Tend to vote Labour
Are extroverts
Love being the center of attention
Listen to lively upbeat music
Swimmers
Make the best lovers
Are charitable
Tend to be happy
Good at keeping tidy
Walkers
Like their own company
Are charitable
Don’t like drawing attention to themselves
Least materialistic
Yoga
Very agreeable and conscientious (organized, find it easy to put themselves into other people’s shoes)
One of the least materialistic groups
Most likely out of all groups to vote for the Green party
Gym
Extroverted and highly emotionally stable (less likely than others to suffer mood swings)
One of the happiest groups
More likely than other groups to read the Sun
Most likely to vote Conservative
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